Improvement in railroad-car heaters



W. C. BAKER.

RAILROAD GAR HEATER.

No. 75,345, Patented Mar. 10,1868,

@VMM` UNITEDF .STATES PATENT Orme.

WILLIAM C. BAKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-CAR HEATER-S.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 75,345., dated March 10, i868.

To all whom it may concern' Be it known that 1, WILLIAM C. BAKER, of city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Arrangement or Apparatus for Warming RailroadCars and other vehicles ,.and especially the ,feet of passengers in the same ;v and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof', reference being had tol the accompanyin g drawings, and to the lettersof reference marked thereon. v f

My invention relates to a circulating hotwater apparatus, especially adapted to railroad-cars and other vehicles, in which the radiating or heating pipes are necessarily placed near the level otlor below the re.

In hot-water warming apparatus, the. heating pipes have usually been elevated above the lire, so as to obtain an upward and distant circulation, and a ldownward return tothe heater. Such apparatus has not beenadapted to heating railroad cars, Ybecause `the heat would not be snilcientlyinearpthe door.

rIhe nature of my said invention consists in a circulating water apparatus, in which the heat is applied to a tube that extends upward to a water and expansion vessel,`and from this i waterw'essel the circulation is downward, and

through the' radiatingvor heating tubes, and returns to the heater.

By this construction the heated water rises into the water-vessel, and is freed from bubbles of `steamfin order that there may be no opportunity for air or steam t0 remain and accumulate in anyy elevated portions of the radi iating pipe or` tube, and prevent the circulation by forming what is known, as a trap. The pipes of my coiljcan, therefore, be led in any desired direction within thel car or vehi.

cle, and the stove or heater may be located wherever convenient. The ascending hotwater pipe can be carried up suciently high to insure the proper circulation through all the pipes connected with it, without depending upon the relative position of the heater to the coil for eiectin'g the circulation, as heretofore. To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my apparatus, I will proceed to/ de scribe its construction and operation, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which-f Figure 1 is a side elevation of a railroad-car with the side framing removed to show my improvements. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section at the line A a of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section at the liuc B b ot' Fig. 1.

The same letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.' I Iconstruct my apparatus of iron, brass, copper, or anyother suitable material, the joints being, formed of screws of ri ght-hand and left hand threads, or otherwise.

In the drawings, A represents a stove in which B is a portion of the tubes coiled adjacent to the tire, and on which the iire directly acts. C is a tube Vthrough which the heated liquid iiows upward into the reservoir D. E is a chamber for the compression of air coniined within it, as the circulating liquid becomes expanded and presseslgainst it. F is a `tube through which the heated liquid iows downward to supply-heatv to the radiating-tubes G G G GG G, which are run along the'sides, and under these-ats oi' the car, connecting above and beneath thetloorl and the timbersof the car-body, where necessary, and' back to the stove, forming an endless circuit for the heating-liquid. His (a safety-valve. I is a waste-pipe for the safety-valve. J is a pressure-indicator. K isa cock in pipe through which the apparatus is replenished with liquid.

L is a try-cock to indicate the proper height 0f the liquid, and towliich height tlie'liquid should be kept. M is a stopcock for use when the liquid is :first forced through to supply the tubes. N is the cock through which the liquid iirst enters. O is the cock through which the liquid may be discharged from the apparatus. P is the'point at which the cooled liq--1 uid enters the generator to b'e reheated. Q is a screen over the fire to prevent it from rolling out in case the stove gets upset by collision, or other railroad accidents.

. 11i-adapting my apparatus -to railroadecars, (the use for which it is chieliy intended,) it is particularly desirable to have the joint-s iii-nil y screwed together,.and all the parts well secured,so that thejar of the vehicle shall not loosen the same, and thusallow the liquidto escape. In the use of salted water, no evaporation should be al1-owedT as the salt will deposit on the interior surface ot' the tubes whenever the bulk of water is insufficient to hold the salt in a state 'of solution,=but not otherwise. As the connecting parts of the radiatingsurfaces may ofteube required to berun below the rest, in order to clear the passagevWays, and otherwise form pockets and traps paratus may be closed in all its parts.

There may be various minor modifications in the construction of my apparatus without difi'ei'i n g materially f`rom\vhat I have intended to describe as my invention and application. As,l for example, two or more stoves or receptacles for the fire, with separate. radiating and.

heating surfaces or tubes, may be employed iu place of one. The'boilervor heat-receiving portion and other parts ofthe apparatus may be difieren tly constructed. The reservoir and air-chamber may be constructed with one cylin der or vessel instead of two. surfaces -may be located below the floor, and covered with net work, screens, &c., and in other ways be differently situated without va-. rying essentially from my invention.

As prevention from freezing is requisite in the employment of liquids for transmitting `and diffusing heat in railroad-cars and other vehicles, I'propose in this apparatus to use for this purpose salted water, glycerine, or

'their equivalents, to prevent freezing, asset forth in Letters Patent Nos. 58,755 and 71,948, dated October 16, 1866 and December l0, 1867.

1n the employment, as aheatin'g medium. of some of the equivalents of salted water and gl vcerine to prevent freezing-such as oils and spirits of different kinds-danger may be incurred it' care be not taken in handling them near the fire, vand in well securing them Within the apparatus from all contact with the open air.

Ordinary water may be made tocirculate and .transmit heat in this form of apparatus; but, beside its liability to freeze whenever the iire goes out or gets low, it lacks the density,

and consequently the power'of absorbing and im parting heat which water impregnated with salt (chloride of sodium) possesses.

The usual systems for creating artificial warmth in cars, either by stoves placed within them or by blasts of hot air from furnaces suspended beneath, accomplish anything but the desired results. The highly-rareied air from them rushes, bynatural law, at once to the highest point, and seeks to find vent through whatever openings theremay be at the top of the car for ventilation. As there is no flue or outlet at a lower point, as in stationary buildings, to -counteract the upward current and induce the f heated air to circulate at or near the floor of the vehicle, the greater portion of the heat is wasted, and the heads of the passengers are yuncomfortably hot, while their feet may be as cold as though the vehicle was not warmed at The radiating-v all. If theopeningsl foriegre'ss at the top be closed-in order to secure .the escapingheat, Athen all ventilation-and change of air are pre `vented, und the atmosphere ofthe carat once becomes poisoned, both from air heated over surfaces of too high temperature and by the exhalations from the lungs and bodies of the passengers. Thus the inevitable results, in spite of the numerous attempts made to the contrary, are just the reverse' of' what health and comfort imperativelyrequire. The rapid movement of the car through the air aggravates this difficulty, causing, as it does, a strong current of the coldest 'air over the feet and forging. the warmer air still more upward. Thefrequent `.pening ot' the doors at each end and the unavoidable crevices around the doors, especiallyat the bottom ot' them, and the cracks in the floor itself, all act most potently in keeping the extremities enveloped in currents of cool air.

These difficulties in the way of'pure warmed' air in cars during cold Weather have made vtravel by rail one of the most prolific sources of disease and death. more perilous even than the Worstaccidents to which travelers are liable.

'By my system the distributors of heat are, stationary, and act first to 'warm the lower extremities of each and every passenger alike, and at the same time allow pure air and ventilation in the region of the head.

ln my apparatus the circulating liquid'absorbs most of the heat of the fire, instead of allowing it to concentrate at the stove, and distributes it overvthe entire space of the car-floor. v y

No'dangerous' heat is concentrated at the stove; consequently the space required for its occupancy i's small. But one seat in an ordinary railroad-'car need be displaced for it, and this generally a small undesirable one in the corner.

The exterior surface of my stove is of so low temperature that clothing in contact with it may not be injured.

This stove may berendered more secure, and at the. same time assist in the accomplish ment of the grand object in drawing up and warming the air nearest the door, by an outer casing, with perforations at the topv and bottom, allowing a free circulation ot' air from bottom to top between it and the casing in immediate contact with the fire. This casing may be a jacket of water that will extinguish vthe tire in case of accident, and otherwise act to moisten the atmosphere of the car.

Fuel at 'the lowest and most economicalcondition of combustion can be used, and a steady constant heat maintained by replenishing coal .(hard coal)say, twice in twenty-four hours inthe coldestV weather. `Thus space for fuel needseldom be provided in the car. The draft to the fire isregulated by a simple adjustment of the stove-doors, which are locked in their places to prevent improper interference. t

l ous deposits on the interior surfaces.

The slow and perfect combustion of fuel which this apparatus is capable of maintaining, obviates a serious objection in the use of wood-stoves, wh ere the smoke from the rapidlyconsuming wood is blown back into the car from the short smoke-tine, in which the draft is unavoidably spasmodic and imperfect. The

pressure indicated when the apparatus is in operation is usuallyabout five pounds to the square inch. A car may be divided into severa1-separate and distinct compartments, all of which can be thoroughly warmed by my apparatus by one ire' located in some remote and otherwise unavailable space.

I nd by .satisfactory experiments 1n the use of salted water for beating purposes, that, although it may be saturated with the salt, the liquid does not, in my closed apparatus, injure even common iron tubes. Nor does the salt in any' way leave in crustations or injuri-` After several months tests, .both while the liquid was in circulation and while it remained stagnant, no deposit could be detected at any point. It is not necessary in American climates to have the Water fully saturated with salt'to prevent congealing, especially where the pipes are protected to some extent from the cold by being run inside of the car; so ordinary water without being salted is all that is required to supply whatever waste of liquid may occur, and carbonate of soda or other suitable material may be used in a small proportion to prevent any injurious effect of the solution of salt on the metal pipe. It will be apparent that the operation of heating by'my apparatus will-be the same when pure water is employed in place of salt-water, but there will be a risk of freezing when not in use.

As the space the stove occupies is so small, it is not required to move it during the summer season, but by remaining it is in condition for heating at any moment. A'little heat at times, during the warm months, is often desirable. The wear and tear and trouble of removing and storing ordinary stoves, and the seats they displace, and the retting up of the same each year, are serious objections to their use. V

I do not claim steam heating tubes or vessels in a car, as these are known.

Whatv I claim, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-' 1. A circulating hot-water apparatus, adapted to railroad-cars and other vehicles, in which a rising Waterpip'e from the heater opens into a watervesse1,in combination with a descending pipe and radiating or heating tubes,sub stantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The heating-tubes arranged as shown, to run from the side of the car beneath the respective seats, and furnish warmth to the individual passengers, in combination with the aforesaid hot-water heating apparatus, as set forth.

lWILLL/M c. BAKER.

Witnesses W. J. A. FULLER, LEON ABBETT. 

